Q: We don’t provide faculty members (or any other employees) with written performance evaluations. Is this a problem?

With human resources professionals slowly gaining more acceptance as a necessary part of the administrative team in many private schools, this month we wanted to take a broad look at two types of HR professionals. Consider the following conversation.

The fact is that there are fewer new donors out there giving to fewer institutions, but these donors are giving bigger gifts to the institutions they are supporting. It is more important than ever that the School Head play an active role in qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, stewarding, and recognizing your donors.

What to do when the allergies arrive with the great weather and render you sneezy? And what to do when these eye-watering, itchy, congested, sniffling symptoms carry over into the summer months, along with pollen, heat, summer air pollution, stinging bugs, and more weeds. It almost doesn’t pay to go outside after breathing indoor air all winter, but no way are you staying inside! You deserve some outdoor relaxation.

“Kids and teens have embraced the digital world with great intensity, spending as many as a eight hours a day online by some estimates,” comments Michael Kaiser, Executive Director of the National Cyber Safety Alliance, StaySafeOnline.org. “Yet, America’s schools have not caught up with the realities of the modern economy. Teachers are not getting adequate training in online safety topics, and schools have yet to adopt a comprehensive approach to online safety, security, and ethics as part of a primary education. In the 21st century, these topics are as important as reading, writing, and math.”

Graduation day is almost upon you—another group of young adults is about to take the education that they have learned at your institution and apply it to the outside world.

It’s spring! With warmer weather, who can resist the great outdoors and the urge to fire up the grill and BBQ up some favorites? Those BBQ pounds can be shed with a few laps around the block, right? And, with the nicer weather, we’ll all be tempted to stroll around the neighborhood.

It’s already time for graduation—amazing how fast the 2010-2011 year has come and gone. Graduation season is exciting for everyone. Faculty and staff members, students, and parents are all gearing up for end-of-the-year celebrations. But, as you know, these exciting times can also pose risks. Here are a few tips to share with students, parents, and faculty members that will help keep this year’s graduating class as safe as possible.

A recent study done by Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson shows that more than 80% of university faculties are incorporating some form of social media into their teaching.  Schools.com published an article on April 25, 2011, with nine examples of how professors are using social media to expand their lesson plans. Included in the article’s list of examples: Facebook Psychology, Presidential Levity, and Playacting— but you’ll have to read the full article to learn just what they mean.

The Department of Education released a study showing the percentage of high school graduates who selected accelerated-sounding classes has nearly tripled since 1990. However, although students are earning more credits in advanced courses, standardized test scores are not rising—in fact, scores are nearly at a standstill.